5 Civil Rights Pioneers And Their Day Jobs

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which Americans set aside to honor the man who used civil disobedience to advance the rights of black Americans. King, of course, worked a pastor before and during his years as an activist. And that got us thinking about the “day jobs” of other major figures in the Civil Rights movement. We remember them now for their lasting achievements, but they also had to earn a living, often under extraordinarily difficult circumstances. Here are five Civil Rights pioneers, and the day jobs that kept them going.

Many of us associate the civil rights movement with the 1960′s, so it’s worth knowing that it goes back much further. For a more complete historical sense it’s worthwhile to read about people like Frederick Douglass.